So you’re getting married??
First of all, congratulations on your engagement! I am so excited for the two of you and can’t wait to see the amazing things that come from this new chapter in your life.
Anyone who is married, has close family who are married, or is in the wedding industry, can tell you that planning a wedding can be a daunting and tedious task. It requires the coordination of several different businesses, and a large investment of both time and money. Creating your timeline and planning your big day, and doing it right, can be the difference between the best day ever and a major headache. The tips & tricks outlined below are guaranteed to help make planning a breeze!
My Wedding Planning Tips
- It NEVER hurts to talk to an expert! Even if you have no intentions of hiring a professional to plan or coordinate your wedding (which I always recommend if your budget allows), many wedding planners/coordinators, photographers, and other professionals with wedding planning expertise, offer free consultations. Making an appointment to speak to one of those individuals may reveal a TON of things you haven’t even thought about yet!
- Figure out your guest list FIRST! Before you choose a venue, before you pick a photographer, and before you begin to book any other vendors, figure out exactly how many guests you plan to have at your wedding. This will determine almost everything! The number of guests you plan to have will affect your venue choice (capacity), catering costs, chair/table rentals, how many photographers you may need, and so much more. Your guest count will even affect the cost of your florals and decor!
- ALWAYS leave some wiggle room in your budget! When planning a wedding, things can get expensive quick. Setting a clear, easy to follow budget from the beginning will make things go much smoother. And surprises and mistakes are bound to happen! Leave a percentage of your budget for those surprises and don’t let it dampen the excitement.
- Make sure everyone can hear! When you have a large guest list and several rows of seating, those in the back may not be able to hear. Just imagine sitting through a 30 minute to hour long ceremony and not hear a single word – sounds terrible right! Maybe renting mics or asking your DJ/photographer if they have any could work for you.
- Add a buffer between the day’s events! If at all possible, I always recommend adding a little bit of a buffer (10-15 minutes) between each part of your wedding. We always LOVE getting ahead of schedule, but things are usually NEVER fun when you’ve got it in the back of your mind that you’re behind schedule. A little extra buffer will prevent just that!
- Remember to soak it all in, and ENJOY your big day! This is the most important in my opinion. You, and everyone else contributing, invested so much time and money to make your dream wedding a reality. Don’t forget to take the time to soak it all in and actually enjoy yourself. You’ll always have pictures and videos, which should spark so much emotion and memory, but you’ll never be able to truly relive that day. Enjoy as much of it as you can, and let your coordinators/photographers worry about all the details!
Conclusion
Planning your wedding is much easier when you have professionals by your side, but that isn’t always an option and some couples would rather do it themselves. Either way, all the tips and tricks in the world may not prevent surprises and scheduling errors from popping up on your big day. Regardless of what happens, remember to always enjoy it.
For more wedding planning tips and wedding/elopement resources, check out my other blog posts!
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